Looking for encouragement!

rkrichey

I'm 14 weeks pregnant with my second baby.  I tried desperately to BF my son but it was an awful experience.  I have inverted nipples which made it almost impossible for him to latch on and if he did (which only happened a handful of times) it was excruciatingly painful.  I had to bite my lips to keep from tearing up and scaring him.  I met with 3 different lacatation consultants and none of them really taught me anything that seemed to help.  My questions for you guys are 1. Any tips for getting a decent latch with inverted nipples?  The nipple sheild and the shells never worked for me.  2.  Is there anything I can do now or before the baby comes to make this easier?  I would love to BF but I don't want it to be a super stressful experience.  I think it prevented me from bonding with my son at first and I don't want that to happen again.  TIA

shotzie

Did you ever try pumping to draw out your nipples and then putting baby to the breast? That's the other thing I can think of besides nipple shells.

One of my friends ended up exclusively pumping due to inverted nipples, but I'm not sure if she tried other techniques first. I think it depends on how inverted they are and if the baby can suck hard enough to draw the nipples out.